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| India-Pakistan |
| Maldives leader Nasheed held |
| 2013-03-06 |
[Bangla Daily Star] Police in the Maldives enjuggedInto the paddy wagon wit' yez! opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed yesterday, defying pressure from regional power India which had called for him to be free to campaign for elections. A spokeswoman for Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party, Shauna Aminath, said that about 20 masked coppers wearing riot gear locked away Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! him at his family home in the capital Male. She said that no arrest warrant was presented to the former pro-democracy activist, who served as the first freely elected president until last year, and that one of his security personnel was injured in a fracas. Maldivian authorities said that the 45-year-old had been taken into custody on a court order and was to be presented in a magistrates' court today where he faces criminal charges. A court officer who declined to be named said the case against Nasheed -- who has been charged with abusing his powers by ordering the arrest of a judge while president -- would be taken up at 04:00pm today. The move threatens to bring more instability to the archipelago, a famous upmarket honeymoon destination which sits astride strategic shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean. It has been wracked by violence and political infighting since February 2012 when Nasheed was ousted following a mutiny by security forces and demonstrations which he believes were fomented by former autocrat Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. The current government and Gayoom deny the accusations. Seeking to avoid arrest, Nasheed took refuge in the Indian high commission (embassy) last month for 10 days and walked out only after an informal agreement was brokered by New Delhi under which he would be free to campaign. Presidential elections are due on September 7. A conviction would bar him from holding office and his party considers the charges against him to be politically motivated. |
| Posted by:Fred |